Education 460

Lesson Outline/Resources: (120 words)

 

Introducing the unit: (Day one): To begin, the assignment and rubric will be handed out and explained. Students will then watch a 10 minute video on TICE ART 1010 Renaissance ART. This video provides contextual information about the European Renaissance including insights about symbolism and artistic techniques in the broader European context. The teacher will engage students in a discussion about the ideas presented in the video for 5-10 minutes. The teacher will present the Big Picture blog as a starting point for students to consider how images in today's society (i.e. artwork/photography) reflect their Canadian worldview (5-10 minutes). This will be followed by a brief class discussion regarding "idealized beauty", as the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci and photographs of Inuit women with traditional face tattoos will be shown side by side. Students will be asked to create a brief bullet list of concepts of beauty that live in today's society, and whether or not these concepts reflect similar or different ideals from the Renaissance worldview or Inuit's worldview (15 minutes). Before class concludes, students must write on a piece of paper one person they work well with and one they do not.

 

Resources:

Inuit Face Tattoos: http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/arctic_tattoos.htm

Big Picture Blog: http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/bigpicture

Mona Lisa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa

Art History Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzhuZmzoX5o

 

Analyzing Renaissance Paintings (Day two): The beginning of class focuses on establishing clear criteria and expectations for the assignment. This will be achieved by presenting students with three exemplar collages with varying degrees of quality and as a class discussing the positives and negatives of each example (15 minutes). This will be followed by an examination and modification of the rubric where students see fit (10 minutes). For the remainder of class, three videos will be shown that give an in depth analysis of the symbolism and context of The Ambassadors, The School of Athens, and Saint Jerome in His Study. During these short videos students will be asked to take notes, which will serve as a starting point for research (15 minutes). Following this students will be arranged into groups of three, based on choices from Day one, and will select the painting they will be analyzing as a group. (15 minutes).

 

Resources:

The Ambassadors Symbolism Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7IRU8rHmAQ

The School of Athens Symbolism Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh1YGIyn-ok

Saint Jerome in His Study Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJiMMT8U-HI

 

 

Analyzing Symbolism (Day three): At the beginning of the day students will arranged into their groups of three and in order to complete a 5 Ws chart, in which they will outline values from the Renaissance in comparison to today’s lived world. As a group, students will research chosen artwork and begin designing their collage using digital resources. Students will write a brief summary of why they chose the painting, the Renaissance values it shows, and how they are reflected in modern society. During this work time the teacher will walk around and ask students questions about their symbols in order to make sure they understand the assignment.

 

 

Resources:

5 Ws chart: http://media.education.nationalgeographic.com:8080/assets/file/GO_5Ws_Chart.pdf

 

 

Creating an Artist’s Statement (Day Four): At the beginning of the day, students will be reminded that an artist statement must accompany their collage. A brief video will be shown describing how to articulate a clear and effective artist’s statement (10 minutes). Based on their work from the previous day, the groups will write and refine a 5-7 sentence paragraph that describes their reasoning for the images, process, and inspiration for the artifact they will be creating (30 minutes). This draft will be handed into the teacher at the end of class for formative assessment. After this, students will be given time to find images for their collage. (20 minutes). By the end of class, each group must have the rough sketch of their collage completed.

 

Resources:

Video on Creating an Artist Statement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmNkNK0N55A

 

 

Work day and Formative Feedback (Day Five): Before the class begins, the teacher will list the groups on the board, and allot time to receive formative feedback on both their artist statement and a plan of their final project. The students will begin to create their artwork and continue to refine their artist statements. The teacher will speak to each group individually in order to give them their formative feedback (40 minutes). At the end of class, students will get into their groups and pair up with another group to provide feedback on each others’ presentation so far using the peer evaluation rubric (20 minutes).

 

Work day, continued (Day 6): Students will continue to work on their projects for the remainder of the class time portion of the assignment. Students will be encouraged to speak to the teacher for additional feedback, and will will be permitted to take their artwork home or come into the classroom at lunch should they need additional time to finish. The artist’s statements should be complete at this time; the focus of this day is for students to finish their artwork. (60 minutes total)

 

End of Project - Artwork showcase and peer critique (Day 7): Students will present their artwork to each other. At this point, the group next in the queue to present will once again assess the currently presenting group using the peer assessment rubric - completion of this assessment will count towards the group’s final grade. The final group will be critiqued by the first group to present. (4 minutes per group presentation, 2 minute for peer critique group to address the project, total of approximately 60 minutes) After the completion of the project, exemplars will be showcased on an online blog in order to make their artistic work authentic and connect beyond the classroom.

 

Program of Studies Outcomes

 

Our inquiry activity will allow students to engage in multiple aspects of the program of studies including:

• Assessing the positive and negative influence Renaissance Europe has had in shaping today's Western Worldview by examining today's economic systems, our relationship with the environment, and current affairs and issues

• Using technology to gather information in order to express their worldview interpretations

• Examining diversity and social cohesion by comparing Western worldviews, both modern and historic, to Aboriginal perspectives

• Assessing primary sources to interpret historical events and issues

 

 

Practicalities and Logistical Concerns

 

Diverse Learning Needs

Students are arranged into groups based on preference list which they fill out, but the teacher will have the final decision on groupings in order to give the students a choice in their group members while still keeping the groups productive. If a student has a physical impairment, they will be provided with the option to use multimedia, scribes, and support from the teacher. Students with behavioural concerns will be placed into groups that are regulated more frequently. If students have visual impairments, they will still analyze aspects of the painting but will perform an alternative oral presentation assignment that covers the same idea of the impact of Renaissance ideas on the modern Western worldview. Students with hearing impairments will be provided with subtitles, sign language translators, and other other means to ensure that they are able to connect with the expertise. Effectively, this project can be adapted to meet the needs of any student who may have trouble completing the initial design due to these concerns.

 

Connecting with the Experts

Although resources are provided for teachers to use regarding the creation of Artist’s statements and symbolism in Renaissance paintings, there are many opportunities within the framework of this project to incorporate expert knowledge. Teachers are encouraged to seek out artists, art teachers, and historians to assist in teaching the students instead of using video resources. Doing so provides the students with a more authentic experience by making a connection to the community outside of the classroom, but the video resources provide the teacher with an alternative should they be unable to locate a real world expert, or if plans with those experts change on short notice.

 

Formative Feedback

Students will be provided with guiding prompts throughout based on the work they do building up to the final project. This includes their 5W’s worksheets, research templates, the development of their artist statements, and their peer critiques. This was discussed through the lesson outline. Students will be kept on task and constantly encouraged to improve their work through the use of these feedback methods.

 

Avoiding Confusion

To avoid confusion during class, time will be set aside at the beginning of class to discuss questions students may have about the subject matter or project. These questions can also be written in and discussed through a Desire2Learn discussion page or Google Docs for the assignment set up by the teacher.

 

Attendance

Students who are absent from class will be provided links to the videos shown in class to view on their own time. Additionally, Google Docs, D2L, and other online resources can also be utilized so they are caught up in terms of being provided formative feedback. Attendance for this assignment is compulsory, but students with valid reasons for missing class, such as medical concerns, will be provided with opportunities to make up for the time they missed, as long as a doctor’s note is provided or foreseeable concerns are discussed in advance.